Identification of Microbially Influenced Corrosion

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) of most industrially utilized alloys, including those used in many Naval installations, is well established. However, the diagnosis of MIC type corrosion is often difficult to make using the techniques commonly employed requiring large amounts of tiem and money and "expert opinion". Ther is a need for a less subjective indicator of MIC. The work of several Naval laboratory scientists has shown that certain minerals can only be produced at normal environmental conditions through the action of microbes, especially the sulfate reducing bateria. These provide metallurgical fingerprints for iron, steels and copper alloys. The goals of the research proposed are 1) to develop test kits for use by field personnel which will allow collection of corrosion products: such a way as to perserve the mineralogical factors diagnostic of MIC and 2) to establish that a service to provide XRD analysis of the samples for the MIC fingerprint materials can be operated to provide sample turn around in more than 48 hours and at a cost of no more than $300 per sample (including sampling kit).